Killzone: Shadow Fall Multiplayer Redeems the Past Mistakes

Killzone is no mystery to the PlayStation console, and that’s why it has managed to maintain its consistently impressive status as arguably the platform’s best FPS series.

With a mix of a rich singleplayer that is paralleled by a differently crafted but equally engaging multiplayer, the series was always expected to gain another title once the PS4 was announced, and unsurprisingly it did.

Killzone: Shadow Fall impressed us with a sleek looking singleplayer trailer at the E3 that showed off what the PS4’s graphics capability were. This was almost a déjà vu, reminding us of how Killzone 2’s amazing in-game trailer bamboozled the world nearly a decade ago by showing off what Sony’s then upcoming PS3 console could do.

Of course, times have changed drastically, and with the expectation of even more visually gorgeous (go ahead, argue with me on that one) games on the way, it’s important to look for more than just eye-candy. But again, we’re talking about Killzone here, and it’s one of the few game series that just doesn’t seem to falter.

What makes Shadow Fall seem like yet another success isn’t just its glamorously crafted world and ever-dependable singleplayer gameplay mechanics, but also its reworked multiplayer.

Back when Killzone 3 was about to be released, we argued that it was the last hope for reviving FPS multiplayer on PS3, which had had its bar lowered drastically at that time.

We’re glad to say that we weren’t wrong; the game’s Warzone map and the constant tension that surrounded its ambiance was a setting that all multiplayer gamers were loving at the time, despite occasional complaints of ‘dumbed-down’ controls and a simplified approach as compared to its predecessor.

Killzone: Shadow Fall is offering something similar, but with further polishing to make it more intense, more competitive, and much more engaging than it already is. It’s not like many had complaints about the older formula, but an old multiplayer setup in a new game with a fresh face would stand out like a Belieber in an Iron Maiden concert.

That’s why Guerilla Games has set out to make a no-bullshit multiplayer which casts away huge level differences and focuses more on a fast-paced, highly customizable yet progressive system that players can jump into right away.

Unlike the previous Killzone and the dogmatic setup that has consumed most of the FPS multiplayers, Shadow Fall throws in all the character classes, weapons and abilities at your disposal straight away. This means that you won’t have to go through grueling hours of frustratingly desperate multiplayer gaming to reach enough of a level that would give you a fighting chance against those who started playing two days earlier.

This change doesn’t mean that your actions will only be a momentary illusion of progress in a static system; you’ll still have the chance to unlock upgrades for your abilities and attachments for your weapons.

What makes this a good idea is that these unlocks are rewarding, but not entirely necessary to match up against an opponent who is only superior in his/her playing hours.

As far as the Warzone itself is concerned, the familiar objective-based gameplay is still present, but the overall pace of what you and others do has been amped up to give the game a better flow that fits its war-natured setup. However, Shadow Fall’s Warzones are majorly different in one thing: you can customize nearly everything about them.

This means that players get to control and set up most essential parameters to their likings, like the objective types and their rotation. You could also opt to disable specific abilities and weapons, which in my opinion is an option that every multiplayer should have to allow for balanced gameplay (bye-bye overpowered weapons!).

Player-created Warzones will be the center of the multiplayer community.

These customized Warzones will automatically be uploaded to the PlayStation Network, allowing others to test it. This way, the Warzones with the best settings will eventually climb up in popularity. Don’t you just love the authority of the majority?

Shadow Fall’s multiplayer offers three different classes: the Scout, the Assault, and the Support. Each class has a specific set of abilities and weapon affinity that determine its roles. Plus, many objectives are specific to certain weapons and classes.

Killzone: Shadow Fall will initially come with 10 maps when it launches alongside the PlayStation 4. We can expect lots of future maps, and it has been confirmed that all of them will be free.

Overall, the game’s multiplayer seems to be going in the right places, and will hopefully redeem the mistakes of the past.